Before becoming a doctor, physician or psychologist, would-be medical professionals must take the Medical College Admission Test. This assessment of a pre-med student’s academic preparedness will undergo a few changes beginning in 2015.
The current MCAT includes four sections: biological sciences, physical sciences, verbal reasoning and a writing sample.
To prepare students for the new changes to the medical field, the MCAT will add three disciplines: psychology, sociology and biochemistry. The new test will also remove the writing portion and add a two-hour lunch break.
As the MCAT adds these subjects, the test itself will take longer to complete. Almost two hours of material will be added to the test making it approximately six hours and fifteen minutes long. Close to 68,000 students take the MCAT per year, and the addition of these new disciplines means that study methods for the 2015 version will see changes.
Joshua Kelly, marketing coordinator for MCAT prep company Altius, suggested students look into new study methods as soon as possible. He said the more familiar the students become with the new exam, the more prepared they will be.
“Work with someone who has already taken the MCAT,” Kelly said. “They will help understand how to approach the exam.”
Psychology junior Jenna Zeringue never wanted to be a doctor because of the amount of schooling and a fear of the MCAT. She said she pushed through that anxiety to achieve her goal of becoming a psychiatrist and began preparing for the inevitable. Since hearing about the changes to the MCAT, her fear has resurfaced along with a few new frustrations.
“Biochemistry and sociology were classes I planned to take my senior year,” Zeringue said. “Now that they’re on the MCAT, I have to squeeze everything into this year to be ready.”
Zeringue restructured her schedule to add subjects included on the MCAT, pushing the psychology classes she wanted to take back another year. She understands the medical field is constantly expanding but finds an eight-hour test “ridiculous.”
“I’m going to make studying for the MCAT like its own class,” Zeringue said. “There’s so much information to absorb in a limited amount of time.”
The overall scoring of the MCAT will also change in 2015. Each section will be worth a total of 132 points, making the maximum score 528. Kelly believes medical schools will not decrease their required scores but will adjust for the 2015 MCAT. He also wants to remind aspiring medical marvels that a good MCAT score is just one step to being accepted into a medical program.
“A solid application with a compelling personal statement that speaks to their achievements and passion for medicine is also required,” Kelly said.